ANDRE VILLAS-BOAS has dismissed suggestions from Arsenal that Tottenham’s exertions in Europe could cost them a place in the top four at the end of season as little more than envy.

Andre Villas-Boas will need to assess his priorities leading to the end of the season

Arsenal’s narrow miss in Munich will have raised their spirits and they will take encouragement from the additional games Spurs face during the run-in.

But Villas-Boas has no doubt that for all the effort that went into seeing off Inter Milan on Thursday night, their north London rivals would not mind a slice of the same.

“ I am sure Arsenal would have traded what we suffered yesterday to score one more goal in Munich and go through ,” he said.

After two late slips cost Spurs a 3-2 defeat against Liverpool, allowing Inter to score four times means seven goals have flown in over the course of two games.

That is an issue the players expect Villas-Boas to address in his briefing before tomorrow’s game against Fulham at White Hart Lane, when they will welcome back the suspended Gareth Bale and fit-again Clint Dempsey .

Veteran defender William Gallas said: “I think the manager will have a meeting with us to correct what wasn’t good.”

Gallas was one of the Spurs players subjected to racist abuse at the San Siro, but UEFA yesterday delayed making a decision on whether to charge Inter . The organisation had appointed a security officer to the match because Spurs had been targeted with racist abuse in the past and they will wait until his report is in, as well as accounts from the referee and match delegate.

Villas-Boas described the chanting as “easy to hear” and Lord Herman Ousely, chairman of Kick It Out, said: “Again, it appears that the match officials have failed in their duty to protect the players.”

FA chairman David Bernstein has condemned the monkey-chanting aimed at Tottenham’s players.

In a statement on the FA’s website, Bernstein said: “I am sure UEFA will take appropriate action, but it also reminds us of the need to work collectively across national and international football authorities to deal with this serious issue as we are also doing in this country .”

Martin Jol has revealed that Bale’s Tottenham success story is down to a conversation the Dutchman had with the Welsh star’s mum.

Jol managed Spurs when Bale, at l7 and a Southampton reserve, was being hunted by half-a-dozen clubs.

Jol said: “I had to have strong words with his mum not to allow him to move anywhere else but Tottenham.

“I had to make a promise to her that if he signed for us he would get more games in the first team.”

Spurs ground out a win at the San Siro after being taken into extra-time by the Italians